1. Technical Field
The technology disclosed herein relates to prevention of the improper fitting of a hearing aid.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a hearing aid is fitted, first the hearing ability of the patient is measured, and then fitting data calculated on the basis of this hearing ability is inputted to the hearing aid. After this, the hearing aid is put on by the patient, and fine tuned. This fine tuning involves having the patient wearing the hearing aid listen to test sounds or voices, and fine tuning the fitting data so as to eliminate any hearing problems the patient may have. This fine tuning work requires experience and knowledge about fitting, and can be very difficult for an adjuster with little experience in fitting work.
In view of this, a remote fitting system has been known in which fitting is performed by an otorhinolaryngology specialist, and the results thereof are consolidated and managed at a fitting center, which improves after-care (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2000-125396).
With the above-mentioned remote fitting system, proper adjustment is performed by having the otorhinolaryngology specialist perform the fitting and any subsequent fine tuning.
However, in actual practice, it is extremely difficult for an otorhinolaryngology specialist to perform fitting and subsequent fine tuning for all patients. This is because the number of hearing aid patients far outstrips the number of otorhinolaryngology specialists. Also, when fitting and subsequent fine tuning are performed by an otorhinolaryngology specialist, he must understand the functions of all the new hearing aids that are constantly being developed.
Therefore, this fitting and subsequent fine tuning are actually most often carried out at the place where the hearing aid is sold. In this case, fitting and subsequent fine tuning are sometimes performed by salespeople who are far from having the required knowledge and experience in fitting. Consequently, even though an otorhinolaryngology specialist may have gone to the trouble of setting the fitting data, discomfort level, and so forth, a salesperson or other such person who does not fully comprehend the significance of these will sometimes end up making settings that exceed the discomfort level, for example, so that the hearing aid cannot be adjusted to within the proper range.
Also, a hearing aid cannot be used until it has been fitted by an otorhinolaryngology specialist.